USCCB Urges Concrete Actions to Address Scourge of Gun Violence

In the wake of the gun-related deaths of seventeen students on Ash Wednesday at a Florida high school, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement on March 5, 2018, calling U S Lawmakers to “an honest and practical dialogue around a series of concrete proposals—not partisanship and overheated rhetoric.” The USCCB statement was developed by Bishop Frank J. Dewane, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; and Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., Chairman, Committee on Catholic Education.

For a number of years, the USCCB has been a strong supporter of sensible gun policies, including a “federal ban on assault weapons, limitations on civilian access to high-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines, further criminalizing gun trafficking, certain limitations on the purchase of handguns…” Their position was reconfirmed in the March 5 release stating: “We also continue our decades-long advocacy for common-sense gun measures as part of a comprehensive approach to the reduction of violence in society and the protection of life.”

In addition, the statement responded to a Presidential proposal to arm classroom teachers by concluding: “The idea of arming teachers seems to raise more concerns than it addresses.”

Bishops Dewane and Murry also called for increased resources and “earlier intervention” for mentally ill individuals who may be at risk for committing violent crimes.